


I Like Shiny Things But I'd Marry You With Paper Rings

by soul_writerr



Series: Lover [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Inspired by Music, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 05:04:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20402146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: "Clothes go out of style, shoes get ruined when it rains, cufflinks get lost, but you, Sonny… there’s no one like you.”





	I Like Shiny Things But I'd Marry You With Paper Rings

**Author's Note:**

> I've had so many ideas for fics while listening to Taylor's Lover that I decided to turn it into a series. The stories are most likely all going to be stand-alones. 
> 
> So here we are, this one was inspired by the track 'Paper Rings', more specifically the chorus, where the line that I've used for the title comes from. I thought it sounded very Rafael Barba-ish lmao
> 
> Enjoy!

Rafael opened the door to the apartment to find Sonny in black boxers and black socks, using a broom as a guitar and whipping his head to the beat of whatever song he had stuck in his head now. The socks allowed him to slide smoothly from one side to the other with minimum effort, but Rafael wasn’t surprised when Sonny tripped over his own feet.

He couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him. Three years, and Sonny and his noodle legs still made him feel giddy. 

Sonny turned to him, and immediately stopped the dance, balancing himself and blushing to the roots of his hair. “Raf, you’re home early,” Sonny said, smiling, but still blushing intensely.

“Thankfully,” Rafael beamed. “I almost missed the show.”

Sonny groaned, throwing his head back. “You were not supposed to see that.”

“Why not?,” he chuckled, taking his jacket off and hanging it by the door. 

“Because it’s embarrassing!”

“Oh, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Rafael smirked, toeing his shoes off. “I quite enjoy this view.” 

“You’re just saying that,” he mumbled, going back to sweeping lamely. “These aren’t even my _ nice _ boxers.”

“If that bothers you so much, just take them off,” he smirked. 

Sonny huffed. “That’s not the point.”

He knew it wasn’t. He knew Sonny liked to save his nice clothes for Rafael, because ‘you always look so put together and elegant, Raf, I have to try and keep up’. It didn’t matter how many times Rafael told him that he’d fallen in love with Sonny when he still had the mustache and didn’t own a single shirt that fit him properly. 

It didn’t matter how many times Rafael said he preferred Sonny with no clothes at all, then proceeded to worship his body with his hands, mouth and tongue. 

It didn’t matter that Rafael himself owned a couple sweatpants with loose threads and mismatching socks. ‘They’re still high quality, Raf’. 

It didn’t matter that Rafael swore on the God Sonny believed in that he much preferred to stay home and have pizza with Sonny than to put on a suit and go to an uptight dinner. 

Because yes, Rafael liked to go to fancy events, spent three thousand dollars on suits, and drank expensive Scotch. He loved shiny shoes, new cufflinks, and tie-bars, silk ties and embroidered pocket squares. 

But those were objects that would never, and could never, be as valuable as what he had with Sonny. He would never want the next new suit more than he wanted Sonny. He would never prefer a new pair of shoes over walking barefoot around their home. And he’d never attend an event if Sonny didn’t come with him. 

No silk, no velvet, no overpriced fabric would ever feel as good against him as Sonny’s naked skin. No Scotch tasted better than Sonny, and nothing would ever make him as intoxicated as the way Sonny’s voice whispering in his ear did.

The most valuable item they had in their home, as far as Rafael was concerned, was the dollar-store picture frame on Rafael’s bedside table, which held the first picture they ever took together. Sonny had given it to him as a gag gift, to remember the night they drunkenly made out then fell asleep in the back of Sonny’s car, but Rafael had kept it.

So when Sonny went into the kitchen to return the broom, Rafael reached into his pockets and pulled out the two little paper rings he’d bought from the barista this morning. She made them for an art project at school, and they were in little display on the counter, under a first prize medal for creativity. 

Rafael offered $20 for both, and she had narrowed his eyes at him. Once she gathered that he wasn’t joking, she took the money and gave him the rings, keeping her medal. 

It was silly, but it was perfect. 

One was blue, one was red. He imagined she had covered them in some sort of resin, because they did have a sheen to them. However, they were so lightweight, Rafael was sure it’d bend at the slightest pressure.

“I’m gonna change,” Sonny announced, pausing only to place a kiss to Rafael’s lips. The ADA was quick to hide the rings. “How about leftover lasagna for dinner?”

“Ah, a man after my own heart,” Rafael smiled. “Wine?”

“I bought the nice one you like,” he beamed. “Left it airing on the counter.” 

Rafael chuckled, shaking his head. Sonny was incorrigible. And Rafael loved him so much.

“I’ll pour it for us,” Rafael said and pecked him on the lips. “Don’t dress up, it’s just us.”

“But you look so nice,” Sonny protested, running his fingers down Rafael’s suspenders.

“I look like I just worked for 10 hours straight then came home to my naked boyfriend dancing,” he teased, and Sonny tsked, but wrapped his arms around Rafael anyway.

“I wasn’t naked.”

“Hm, must have been wishful thinking, then,” Rafael shrugged, and kissed him again. “Don’t dress up.”

Sonny huffed. “Yes, sir,” he mocked, and Rafael smacked his ass as he went, causing Sonny to yelp, then throw him a filthy look over his shoulder. “Behave. That’s for later.”

Rafael shook his head. “Menace.”

He went into the kitchen mostly for a distracting, to calm his nerves, because he didn’t feel like drinking or eating at all. So when Sonny came back ten minutes later and frowned at the lack of a glass of wine for him, Rafael jumped straight to the point.

“Sonny, I love you,” he started, and Sonny’s look turned soft. “You have no idea how valuable you are to me. Everyone keeps telling me that I’m lucky because I have you, and they’re right. That night, in that bar, I was happy being your friend, but then we kissed… God Sonny, you flipped my world upside down, and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to be with you.”

At this point, Rafael guessed Sonny had already figured out what was happening, because his eyes were full of tears and he was barely breathing. 

Rafael reached into his pocket and pulled out the two rings. He showed it to Sonny, and saw the confusion cross his face.

“We can have real bands for the wedding, but I want you to know that I don’t need any more than this to marry you, Sonny. It’s true that I like new, shiny things, but those mean nothing when it comes to you. _ You _ are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with; clothes go out of style, shoes get ruined when it rains, cufflinks get lost, but you, Sonny… there’s no one like you.”

Rafael got down on one knee and looked up at the man he loved, the smile on Sonny’s face so big it made his eyes squinty. 

“Sonny, will you accept these paper rings and marry me?,” Rafael asked, and he was smiling too.

Sonny sobbed, gasping for air like he’d just remembered that he needed oxygen. “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll marry you, Rafael, paper rings, gold rings, diamond rings, whatever you want, I’m yours.”

Rafael jumped up and pulled him into the most delicious kiss they’d ever shared, each one smiling and giggling against the other’s lips. 

When they parted, Rafael took Sonny’s hand and placed the blue ring on his finger, then asked for Sonny to do the same to him, the red ring bold and loud in his hand. 

“I love you,” Sonny told him, breathless. 

“I love you, too,” Rafael said, lacing their fingers together. “How about we take this wine to bed and celebrate?” 

“Sounds perfect,” Sonny purred. “I’m not even wearing any underwear.”

Rafael couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. “That’s even better than your fancy boxer shorts. Let’s go.”

Rafael grabbed the wine with his free hand, not even bothering to take glasses, and pulled Sonny towards the bedroom, where the shiny thing he liked the most was Sonny’s clear blue eyes looking up at him, sparkling, full of love. 

**Author's Note:**

> The beat of this song is so upbeat I had trouble writing a fic for it, so I wrote one, hated it, deleted it, and started another. I hope yall like this one! 
> 
> I have other ideas for this series since I can't stop listening to this album lmao let me know what you think with a comment and don't forget to click the kudo button, babies!!! And enjoy Paper Rings!


End file.
